That’s when I realized…the comments were disabled.
Original Joke:
I was selling some of my music gear online, but all the only replies I got were “visually impaired”, “loss of hearing”, “autistic”, “uses a wheelchair”, etc… That’s when I realized…the comments were disabled.
Joke Poo: The Dog Park Dilemma
I was trying to organize a dog playdate at the park, but all the RSVPs I got were "aggressive chewer", "humps everything", "eats grass", "barks incessantly", etc… That’s when I realized… I accidentally invited the comments section.
Alright, let’s break down this joke:
Analysis:
- Setup: The premise is the person is selling music gear online and receiving replies listing various disabilities. This creates an expectation that the gear might be faulty or undesirable due to its impact on certain users with particular disabilities.
- Punchline: The revelation that comments were disabled subverts this expectation. The messages weren’t responses to the gear’s quality, they were simply the pre-filled labels in the comment section, highlighting the seller’s misunderstanding of the website interface.
- Humor: The humor lies in the unexpected, the seller’s oblivious misunderstanding, and the awkwardness of jumping to an unfavorable conclusion about their gear based on meaningless data. It’s also self-deprecating; the joke works because the seller is the butt of it.
Key Elements:
- Online selling: The act of selling something online, with its inherent risks and interactions.
- Music Gear: The specific item being sold. This implies a market, perhaps with discerning or sensitive buyers.
- Disabilities: The list of disabilities which, in the context of audio/music gear, could be relevant to the product’s quality (or lack thereof).
- Comment Sections: The ubiquitous feature of online platforms, intended for user feedback and discussion.
- Misunderstanding: The core element. The speaker misinterprets the data, leading to a humorous conclusion.
Comedic Enrichment:
Now, let’s build something new, incorporating factual tidbits and playing off these elements:
Option 1: A "Did You Know?" Style Observation
"Did you know that in some cultures, particularly those with strong oral traditions, deafness was not considered a disability in the same way as in Western cultures? Because music often serves as a form of collective memory and storytelling in these cultures, the deaf were sometimes considered special keepers of rhythmic structure – relying on the visual and tactile sensations of vibrations rather than the auditory.
This makes you think about my online sale experience. I was trying to sell my old synthesizer. I got only two types of comments: ‘Deaf’ and ‘Blind’. Then it hit me – I listed the synth as a Theremin."
Why it works:
- It uses the "disability" element and juxtaposes it with an interesting, counter-intuitive cultural perspective.
- It ties it back to music and the online selling premise, creating a parallel to the original joke’s misunderstanding.
- The Theremin joke also provides a secondary layer of absurdity.
Option 2: A New Joke
Why did the visually impaired guitarist always win online music gear auctions?
Because they were masters of the "Buy it Now" button. They felt around faster.
Why it works:
- It takes one of the disabilities from the original joke and creates a scenario, this time not necessarily a misunderstanding but a clever, playful subversion.
- It plays on the stereotype of the visually impaired being adept at other senses, but applies it in a surprising and funny way.
- It still includes the idea of buying and selling online.
- The punchline is very straightforward and to the point.
Option 3: A Witty Observation
"Selling music gear online is a humbling experience. You either get brutally honest reviews that question your entire musical existence or the baffling ‘visually impaired’ comments…which, okay, maybe the knobs are a bit small, but my playing isn’t that hard to watch."
Why it works:
- It leverages the humor of the original joke (awkward interpretation of comments) but adds a layer of self-deprecation about the seller’s own musical abilities.
- It acknowledges the potential relevance of disabilities to the gear but frames it as a facetious observation.
- It uses the ‘small knobs’ aspect to further the visual humour.
I aimed to expand upon the original joke by adding factual information that intersects with its themes, creating new comedic situations and interpretations. This adds depth and makes the humor more than just a rehash of the initial premise.